Nonstop flight route between Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Gwangju (Kwangju), South Korea:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE), Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Gwangju Airport (KWJ), Gwangju (Kwangju), South Korea would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,488 miles (or 8,832 kilometers).

A Great Circle is the shortest distance between 2 points on a sphere. Because most world maps are flat (but the Earth is round), the route of the shortest distance between 2 points on the Earth will often appear curved when viewed on a flat map, especially for long distances. If you were to simply draw a straight line on a flat map and measure a very long distance, it would likely be much further than if you were to lay a string between those two points on a globe. Because of the large distance between NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component and Gwangju Airport, the route shown on this map most likely appears curved because of this reason.

Try it at home! Get a globe and tightly lay a string between NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component and Gwangju Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE):

• E-3A Component flying operations began in February 1982 after delivery of the first E­3A aircraft.
• Normally, only a certain number of the E-3As and TCAs are present at NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen at any given time.
• The closest airport to NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE) is Merzbrück Airfield (AAH), which is located only 11 miles (18 kilometers) SSE of GKE.
• NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,929 miles (19,198 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen is located near Geilenkirchen, Germany.
• Because of NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component's relatively low elevation of 296 feet, planes can take off or land at NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component at a lower air speed than at airports located at a higher elevation. This is because the air density is higher closer to sea level than it would otherwise be at higher elevations.
• Since coming into service in the early 1980s, the aircraft and their onboard systems and associated ground-based equipment have undergone regular upgrading.
• Surrounded by farmland and a natural woodland reserve, the base was originally built by the Royal Air Force after World War II and operated as RAF Geilenkirchen from 1953 onwards.
• The E-3A Component directly employs more than 3,000 personnel at NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen and therefore has a significant economic impact in the surrounding communities.

Facts about Gwangju Airport (KWJ):

• The closest airport to Gwangju Airport (KWJ) is Mokpo Airport (MPK), which is located 35 miles (57 kilometers) SW of KWJ.
• Because of Gwangju Airport's relatively low elevation of 39 feet, planes can take off or land at Gwangju Airport at a lower air speed than at airports located at a higher elevation. This is because the air density is higher closer to sea level than it would otherwise be at higher elevations.
• Customers should pick up a parking ticket from a printing machine on the way into the lot.
• In addition to being known as "Gwangju Airport", other names for KWJ include "광주공항 光州空港", "Gwangju Gonghang" and "Kwangju Konghang".
• Gwangju Airport (KWJ) has 2 runways.
• The furthest airport from Gwangju Airport (KWJ) is Capitán de Corbeta Carlos A. Curbelo International Airport (PDP), which is nearly antipodal to Gwangju Airport (meaning Gwangju Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Capitán de Corbeta Carlos A. Curbelo International Airport), and is located 12,327 miles (19,839 kilometers) away in Maldonado/Punta del Este, Maldonado, Uruguay.
• Gwangju Airport handled 1,539,187 passengers last year.